One of the main reasons we decided to present this honour is that since the SATMA's inception, the founder was never formally recognised by any institution for his remarkable contribution within the heritage, culture and arts arena, this for us is a measure of greatness we need to recognise as a nation", said Advocate Sonwabile Mancotywa.
The ceremony was gracefully attended by the Mayor of Buffalo City, Zukiswa Ncitha; MEC Mcebisi Jonas, Economic Development and Tourism; with a congratulatory message by the MEC of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture, Xoliswa Tom, whose contribution to the man being honoured was met with great celebration by those who were present.
The provincial stakeholders, event partners, other sponsors of the awards attended the ceremony, and the chairperson of the National Heritage Council, Mxolisi Zwane was among the guests.
Mancotywa said, "The SATMAs and this special award presented to the founder is key to the National Heritage Council as we are the legislated custodians of heritage preservation and are seeking to honour individuals and organisations that promote and celebrate Africa's pride".
This year is the SATMA awards' eighth successive year as a unique campaign that was started by a young South African with a vision to recognise traditional musicians, promote indigenous music as part of the country's valuable heritage and make the genre more economically viable.
Many artists who were awarded since the year 2005 have progressed to a professional level and their work became nationally recognised.
"I'm very humbled as a simple man to be recognised by an organisation like the National Heritage Council of South Africa. The SATMA award is a product that was meant to create and develop people within the traditional music of South Africa. I was not aware that my efforts were recognised through the impact these awards had onto the lives of the award winners and the preservation of our country's heritage. I'm grateful for the recognition and support received," said Dumisani Goba.
As an agency of government reporting to the national Department of Arts and Culture, we will continue to recognise and support individuals or organisations that believe in the value of our heritage for national identity through various forms of arts and cultures", Mancotywa concluded.
